After a stroke or other neurological disorder, tightness of the hand muscles of an individual can often lead to debilitating contracture of the fingers of the hand, resulting in a fist-like deformity. Often this condition can be prevented by the use of splinting and other medical means, but this can be painful and often the patient is unwilling to go through painful procedures such as stretching and range of motion exercises. The contracture or tightness, if not treated often becomes worse and can lead to the finger nails puncturing the flesh infection of palm and spaces between the finger and thumb can result from difficulty in cleaning the tightly fisted hand.
Health practitioners, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists and nursing staff, often try to wedge the hand open as with a folded washcloth or roll of gauze bandage. Other common means of keeping the hand open to prevent further contracture once started, include the use of conical tubes. Cone shaped tubes are generally made of rigid plastic and may be covered with some sort of thin material to make them more comfortable. Often lengths from 4 to 5 inches and widths tapering from 3/4 inch to 11/2 inches in diameter are used. Other methods dealing with contractures are the use of palm splints. Such splints fit in the palm and are intended to rest between the fingers and the palm surface and to act as a barrier to prevent the fingers from digging into the palm of the skin. In extreme cases, surgery where tendons are severed, is a last, painful and often ineffective resort. It is a particular problem with any of the known devices that their use requires the fingers to be pried open before inserting the device into the tightly-clenched fist. This opening of the fingers can be extremely painful and in some cases can cause dislocation of a joint when done by the therapist, other medical practitioner or family care giver. The force exerted during prying of the fingers can be considerable in order to insert a splint and or the aforementioned cone devices which require forcing of the cone through the widest opening of the clenched fist towards the narrowest opening of the fingers. To insert even a washcloth or gauze roll can be painful and traumatic for the patient because of the necessary finger prying apart.